High and rising - that will be the case for our North Coast rivers the next few days if the forecast predictions ring true. It's been a wet December, and it looks like it will continue on through the Christmas holiday. The Smith has been pretty much the only game in town, but even it has been at a marginal fishing height. With more rain in the forecast, it looks like all the rivers will be blown out for a few days. According to Reginald Kennedy of Eureka's National Weather Service, Thursday's storm could bring as much as four inches to the Smith basin and another three inches may fall in Humboldt. Add a couple more inches of precipitation on through the weekend, and you're looking at some big, brown rivers. With any luck, the Smith will drop back into shape for a couple days before the next big storm hits, which is predicted to be next Tuesday evening.

Sport crab update

With the ocean being extremely rough, not much has been happening offshore. Captain Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing got out briefly this weekend, but found most of his pots stuffed with Eel Grass rather than crab. Captain Phil Glenn of Shellback Sport Fishing hasn't been out for a while, but is shooting for Sunday or Monday to get back on the water, weather permitting. Both skippers plan on running trips until the commercial season starts, which could be December 31 or January 15. The best crabbing has been inside the bay or near the harbor in Trinidad according to John Corbett of Eureka's Pacific Outfitters. "I've heard guys are doing really well in Trinidad, needing only about an hour soak to pull limits. Most have been fishing south of the Head. Inside Humboldt Bay, anywhere around the entrance has been productive. I've had the best luck fishing the incoming tides, when it's easier to handle the gear. Cheap grocery store chicken, either thighs or drumsticks, has worked well for bait," Corbett added.

2013 Fishing license

A reminder that it's the time of the year to purchase your 2013 license, which is required for residents 16 years of age or older to take fish, mollusks, crustaceans, invertebrates, amphibians or reptile in inland or ocean waters. The cost of a new resident sport fishing license is $45.93. A North Coast salmon report card, which will run you $6.22, is required for all anglers taking salmon in the Smith River System or Klamath-Trinity River System. If you plan to fish for steelhead, you'll need to purchase a steelhead report card, which will cost $7.05 this year. Fishing licenses and reports cards are now available to purchase online. For more information, visit http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/ols/

Smith River Rowdy Creek Hatchery update:

It was a pretty disappointing year for salmon returning to Rowdy Creek according to hatchery manager Andrew Van Scoyk. With the run pretty much over, only 231salmon have returned, which includes 75 males, 83 females, and 73 jacks. Last year at this time, 201 males, 339 females, and 43 jacks had been counted. An average year will see about 800 salmon return "I think because of the big runs on the Klamath and Sacramento, as well as all the fish in the ocean, the assumption was for large returns on the Smith as well, but for whatever reason, it just didn't happen," Van Scoyk said.

Mad River Hatchery update

The hatchery will begin spawning on January 2 according to Phil Barrington, a biologist with the Department of Fish and Game. The goal this year, according to Barrington, is to spawn roughly120 steelhead, from which 535,000 eggs will be produced by combining natural origin and hatchery origin steelhead, and another 150.000 eggs will come from two hatchery origin fish. 150,000 yearlings will be released sometime in March.

Mattole River set to open Jan 1

The Mattole River is scheduled to open to fishing on January 1, 2013 from 200 yards upstream of its mouth to the confluence with Stansberry Creek. Barbless hooks are required. The Mattole is also regulated by low flow closures, with a minimum flow of 320 cfs at the Petrolia gauging station.

The Rivers:

Chetco River

Was flowing at just above 5,000 cfs on Wednesday, which is a fishable height. The slides have been the wild card here, sometimes keeping the water off-color when it should be green. All that will be moot for a while as the river is predicted to go big on Thursday morning, peaking at just over 17.5 feet sometime in the evening.

Smith River

Mike Coopman of Mike Coopman's Guide Service reports the fishing was consistent last week, with guides getting up to five hook-ups per trip. "There's definitely some nice fish around, it's just a matter of keeping the river at a stable level. With quite a bit of rain coming in the next few days, it looks like we may not fish until early next week," Coopman added.

Eel and Van Duzen rivers

According to Paul Grundman of Rio Dell's Grundmans Sporting Goods, the main stem is probably done until after the first of the year. Predicted to exceed monitor stage at Fernbridge by Friday morning. The south fork is also predicted to rise significantly, peaking at 24.5 feet on the Miranda gauge. The Van Duzen will also blow out, and is forecasted to peak early Friday morning at just over 10 feet.

Mad River

Predicted to rise to 14 feet on Saturday, and according to Gary Blasi of Arcata's Mad River Tackle, it's hard to say when it's going to fish again. "A lot will depend on if it rains or snows up high. If it rains on top of the snow, it will be awhile" Blasi added. The good news is the steelhead are starting to show and quite a few were caught on Tuesday by the liners.

Upper Trinity

Steve Huber of Steve Huber's Guide Service reports the steelhead action remains status quo in the Douglas City area, with boats getting three to five chances per trip. "We're getting a mix of wild and hatchery fish, with quite a few new ones starting to move in. The fish we've been getting are really clean. It looks like we have some weather coming the next few days, with quite a bit of snow predicted above 500 feet. If we get the snow, the river should hold up high. Looking at the forecast, my guess is the river will blow out below Pigeon Point," Huber added.

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